Patterico's Pontifications

10/3/2013

GOVERNMENT SLOWDOWN, DAY THREE

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 7:42 am



Initially thought it was Friday. Learned it was Thursday. Blamed a small band of House Republicans.

P.S. Clark is doing this same shtick at Popehat.

170 Responses to “GOVERNMENT SLOWDOWN, DAY THREE”

  1. There were no newspapers at all at the Turkey Hill where I stop to get my morning Philadelphia Inquirer. Should I blame the TEA Party Republicans, or is it still George Bush’s fault?

    The disapponted Dana (3e4784)

  2. It would have been Friday, Pat, but Friday has been delayed due to Republican obstructionists.

    If they don’t give in, tomorrow may not be Friday, either.

    As a matter of fact, your whole weekend may be cancelled just like the Grand Canyon.

    We can’t have things like canyons or weekends if Congress isn’t willing to pay its bills.

    Steve57 (234b9e)

  3. My son’s JV football game Saturday may have to be moved or postponed because their home field is rented in Gateway National Park. Not the end of the world. Suspect like the sequester we are again going to learn we can live quite easily without Daddy Fed. Which is why the longer this goes and the closer we get to a debt ceiling discussion the issue will become more about profligate government spending and Obama’s total lack of leadership.

    Bugg (f0dbc7)

  4. Check this video out

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ4qmgl22DQ&feature=youtu.be

    It is like they are out of touch with reality.

    Michael Ejercito (b371e1)

  5. The Democrats are trying to stop the Republicans from killing their best arguments.

    On the big argument, that must-pass bills should not be used as a lever to get members of Congress and the President to agree to something that they don’t want to, the public is on their side, but that’s not enough for them.

    Sammy Finkelman (a1e8fb)

  6. They’ve got to either frighten people (although that’s very hard to do) or make them feel disappointed or inconvenienced by something or other.

    They fight like crazy when the Republicans try to take away their arguments.

    Sammy Finkelman (a1e8fb)

  7. My son’s JV football game Saturday may have to be moved or postponed because their home field is rented in Gateway National Park…

    Because of course football wouldn’t have been invented if the gub’mint wasn’t funding fields.

    How do you play football without government subsidies? Like you’re supposed to, what, chalk out the general outlines on a friendly cattle rancher’s property and just start playing?

    That’d never work.

    It’s just not football if there isn’t a sign advertising that the field you’re playing on was paid for by the stimulus.

    Steve57 (234b9e)

  8. Things are still viable here in the Midwest–the sun came up; we actually got a little rain; traffic is moving, although trying to dodge all of the zombies out there. I don’t know how long we can hold out.

    rochf (f3fbb0)

  9. The article currently profiled at the drudgereport.com about the distinguished, notable Dr Ben Carson (a kid from the slums who grew up to be a brain surgeon, no less) being targeted by the IRS — and BS to say that’s merely coincidental following the anti-Obamacare speech he gave awhile back — is another reminder of how corrupt this nation has become.

    Since so many of the current crowd makes excuses for characters like a Nidal Hasan, perhaps it will be totally fitting if they’re brought down (in a big cloud of dust) by such sentiment and idiocy. Unfortunately, the percentage of Americans who are sane and sensible will end up suffering with the rest.

    Mark (58ea35)

  10. I don’t mean to make light of your son’s situation, bugg.

    I was just contemplating on the fact that one of the last cattle farmers around here is selling his land to the city for a sports facility.

    So there’s a sign up about how it’s going to be a future sports facility.

    And now, thanks to Obamacare I’m reading that as meaning it’s the future site of someplace I can’t go anymore, if Obama decides he’s going to be a ****.

    Steve57 (234b9e)

  11. Obamacare Meltdown, Day …

    Icy (bf5dab)

  12. My niece’s husband (would that make him a nephew in law?) works maintaining aircraft for the Air Force, doing the same job as a civilian, for more money, that he did when he was in the Air Force. He’s furloughed.

    The Dana with relatives (3e4784)

  13. The game was moved to a field in Staten Island. While it’s a $13 toll to cross the Verrazano, it’s not the end of the world.If that’s the worst of it, no big deal. Stay closed.

    The conservatives right now have to stand like Scots at the Sterling Bridge and stop this now. The Big Government spendathon has to be stopped now or our kids are going to be serfs.THIS IS BEYOND UNSUSTAINABLE. Issue remains “GOP” and conservative” are 2 different things that intersect very little on the Venn diagram of ideals.

    Bugg (f0dbc7)

  14. Zombies in the streets here, the Apocalypse has begun. A neighbor was being carried off by the Z horde in multiple pieces as he was being consumed.

    Its a horror, a horror….

    Actually, what has pissed me off is that the Federal District Court is open today and I have to put my monkey suit on and make an appearance …

    SPQR (768505)

  15. Shut down report – there was a stink bug creeping malevolently on the breakfast room chandelier. I put it outside.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  16. Virginia is set to siphon off personal data from the DMV to create new database for social programs. This seems like a very bad, bad idea.

    http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/va-starting-to-develop-a-master-identity-database/article_772d70fe-28ac-11e3-95ec-001a4bcf6878.html

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  17. Its interesting that the administration released bogus numbers regarding the number of visits the exchanges got, often exaggerating by an order of magnitude.

    SPQR (768505)

  18. “This is geared toward citizens who say, ‘Why do I have to fill out this again?’ ” DMV’s Burhop said.

    ::sigh::

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  19. There’s a suspiccion that the New York exchange got a distributed denial of service attack hacked. Ten million vistors is more than even the federal gateway got.

    They are probably counting every sepasrate attempt to log on as a visit.

    Sammy Finkelman (a1e8fb)

  20. Some hilarious tweets:

    Sam Stein @samsteinhp

    I’m sure WIC recipients would welcome 1/1000th the attention being given to the WWII memorial today

    Earned this riposte from Glenn:

    Instapundit.com @instapundit

    “@samsteinhp: I’m sure WIC recipients would welcome 1/1000th the attention being given to the WWII memorial today” So storm Normandy.

    SPQR (768505)

  21. Sammy, people who have incompetently configured their webserver often call the resulting meltdown a “Distributed Denial of Service” attack.

    Its really just incompetence.

    SPQR (768505)

  22. Comment by SPQR (768505) — 10/3/2013 @ 8:40 am

    …the Federal District Court is open today and I have to put my monkey suit on and make an appearance

    I read a few days ago, that the federal courts might only be able to keep going for a week or two or something before they’d have to close. *

    But that can’t be right. This is one of the things that shoild be “essential”

    * They have some kind of money, besides federal appropriations, that they can use for a while.
    I didn’t read any more details in the newspaper article that I read. As they say, further deponent sayeth not.

    Sammy Finkelman (a1e8fb)

  23. Sammy, if you actually sat in a Federal courtroom for a day, you’d soon lose any sense that what they do is “essential”.

    SPQR (768505)

  24. Somebody figure out how to do this succinctly (I am succinctilly challenged).

    Harry Reid: “What makes them think they can fund things piecemeal.”
    Answer: The US Constitution and the Budget Act of 1974, which the Senate has ignored and broken the law by not approving a budget for the last 5 years.

    You want to talk about accepting given law and getting over it? Pass a budget!!

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  25. Hey some good news: the President’s golf course at Andrews Air Force Base is open!

    The mess halls for the troops are not, but screw them. See Obama/Dem treatment of WWII veterans, Benghazi, hallowed ground Normandy, VA benefits…for how he and they really feel about the US Armed Forces and those that served.

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-03/troops-forage-for-food-while-golfers-play-on-in-shutdown.html

    Pons Asinorum (8ce71a)

  26. The Feds also tried shutting down Mount Vernon, despite the fact that it is privately funded, and takes no federal tax dollars.

    Part of the parking lot is technically owned by the NPS, so they took the liberty to block off where the tour buses do their turnaround.
    But even though part of the parking lot may be facillitated by the feds, the parking lot just sits there—it does not require NPS employees to administer it.

    That being said, Mount Vernon would not be bullied and they continue to announce they are still open for business.

    Obama is a sociopath.

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  27. The Democrats are losing control of the messaging rapidly.

    No surprise, they let Obama lead it.

    SPQR (768505)

  28. Hey some good news: the President’s golf course at Andrews Air Force Base is open!

    The mess halls for the troops are not, but screw them.

    Pons, that says a lot.

    I can’t even comment on it because it’s so obvious what this means.

    Dustin (303dca)

  29. Obama is a sociopath.

    What was your first clue?

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  30. The One assumed this would be a catastrophe and the MFM would shout it from the rooftops. The reality is it’s no big deal. Like the sequester it again proves Big Government is overrated.

    Bugg (ddac6e)

  31. And Obama is now saying that if we hit the debt limit he’s going to order the SS Trust Fund not to send checks.

    Isn’t the trust fund a CREDITOR? Don’t they receive more each month than they pay out (now that the FICA cut is over)?

    WTF!?!?!!!1?/1!!

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  32. Matter of fact, if the debt limit is hit, borrowing from the SS Trust Fund would seem illegal. I guess Obama intends to embezzle the FICA income to cover other bills.

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  33. This Obama person is a low information voter. A low information President, too.

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  34. It’s the grocery stores on the bases (commissaries) which are closed, not the mess halls. The troops on base still eat. With their meal cards i.e. for free. Some visitors are entitled to eat free too, others have to pay. Let’s not add to the hysteria the Dems want to propagate.

    nk (dbc370)

  35. elissa’s break day four

    I THINK ABOUT IT EVERY NIGHT AND DAY SPREAD MY WINGS AND FLY AWAY

    but elissa actually did it

    and those of us she left behind have to pick up the pieces and carry on as best we can – government or no government

    this is kind of a fun moment here in the latter days of America if we embrace it

    socialist whores like the president of the United States – their whole pathetic subtext 24-7-365 is that the government is the mostest important thing in the whole world times a thousand

    but it’s not

    elissa knows that

    and pretty soon everyone else will too

    cause life is proceeding apace even as the pitiful failmerican government languishes in the ditch food stamp drove it into

    poor food stamp I bet he’s praying to whatever sick fascist soros tiki god he prays to that this tropical storm karen will grow into a mighty hurricane what could help cover over this awkward lull in government functioning

    something tells me he doesn’t have that much juice though

    happyfeet (c60db2)

  36. Where’s elissa ? Did I miss something ?

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  37. SHEGONE SHEGONE OH I

    i’d pay the debble to replace her Mr. stone

    happyfeet (c60db2)

  38. one sees how they distort one side’s motivation, yet they ignore the other’s, or omit it entirely,

    http://spectator.org/archives/2013/10/03/the-clash-of-the-crusades/

    narciso (3fec35)

  39. And do we really need 12-room lodges with unequaled charm at Cap Cod? http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131003/NEWS/310030327

    Who goes to those places anyway? I mean which “segment of the electorate”? Hmm, the Democrats may be cutting into their own margin with this one.

    nk (dbc370)

  40. Never go begging for a woman to come back, happyfeet. Wait a few days, and just call and ask her if she’d like to go out for something to eat and maybe some blues after, and then see what happens when you reach to shake her hand good night when you’ve taken her home.

    nk (dbc370)

  41. happyfeet’s pebbles and bamm bamm talk is difficult to follow. What happened to Elissa ?

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  42. She got pissed on one thread, the details are not important, and she said she’d like a break from leaving comments. Understandable. Her business, anyway. She said she’d still be lurking so talk more or less nice about her. And don’t blow spit-bubbles.

    nk (dbc370)

  43. Never go begging for a woman to come back, happyfeet. Wait a few days, and just call and ask her if she’d like to go out for something to eat and maybe some blues after, and then see what happens when you reach to shake her hand good night when you’ve taken her home.

    Comment by nk (dbc370) — 10/3/2013

    I’m a fan of the old way, where you make fun of her on the playground but then give her a crayon covered valentine on halloween. Sometimes the old ways are best.

    Dustin (303dca)

  44. There are reports of an active shooter at the capital.

    Dustin (303dca)

  45. *SP the Capitol (in DC).

    Dustin (303dca)

  46. Anotehr shooter?

    They all know they are going to die, or expect it. Everybody else is deterred.

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  47. Well, I hope Elissa comes back soon. Maybe she just decided to go play minor league baseball like Michael Jordan.
    And when she returns, she’ll be knocking down the usual fifteen foot jumpers and playing tenacious defense.

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  48. We’ll see what comes of the initial reports.

    It’s another gun free zone and frankly the agitprop from the left has been hysterical recently. This is what happens when the democrats (and the Olympia Snowe types and their supporters) weaponize every program after instilling as much dependency in those programs as possible. It creates a lot of needless drama.

    Those who have rejected the left and the RINOs envision a society where we are not dependent on the government, and thus are unafraid when it isn’t taking care of our every need. This is the most peaceful and stable arrangement.

    Dustin (303dca)

  49. One report says a shooter is in custody.

    http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/senator-shots-fired-outside-capitol_759124.html

    And the house’s activity is currently suspended. Does that mean the attack probably directed against the house.

    Dustin (303dca)

  50. And the house’s activity is currently suspended. Does that mean the attack probably directed against the house.

    The first clue to look for is a bag of Chick-fil-a sandwiches.

    JVW (93c84b)

  51. Expect teh Non-Essential…

    Colonel Haiku (cd6dde)

  52. Is this a joke? It looks real.

    Need health insurance? The Obama administration has you covered. Simply dial 1-800-FUCKYO to reach the next available health-care provider.

    Far from being a mistype, that’s the official number that Health and Human Services wants Americans to dial when seeking health care. Obamacare’s national call center really did list its number as 1-800-318-2596, helpfully spelling out President Barack Obama’s tendency to blatantly flip the bird in plain view.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  53. The first clue to look for is a bag of Chick-fil-a sandwiches.

    Comment by JVW (93c84b) — 10/3/2013

    LOL. Good reference.

    Well, the initial reports on these things are always wrong. Some say it was a shooter in the Capitol and some way it was the end point to a car chase.

    But I do think the agitprop over the past few years, built largely on the idea of entitlement to government solving all our problems (and fear of a world where it doesn’t) has been a major contributor to a lot of psychos. Joe Stack, Floyd Corkins, etc. They hype up the fear of not having solutions to global warming or healthcare, and then they weaponize it by denying that government unless the GOP goes along with all manner of things from funding to the loss of freedom. And the GOP has done this to in reverse, albeit not nearly as badly (they know they can’t get away with it, due to the media).

    It may have nothing to do with the shooter today, but it’s the environment that surrounds this shutdown and the theater of media coverage.

    Dustin (303dca)

  54. Dustin shall be in charge of wooing women to my cabal.

    SPQR (2c3f78)

  55. Barry goes off script & straight into a face-palm moment

    http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/360298/president-obama-libertarian-charles-c-w-cooke

    redc1c4 (abd49e)

  56. This is starting to bounce around on Facebook. Want to call the Healthcare.gov people to ask a question about ObamaCare? Here is the number:

    1-800-318-2596

    If you want to use letters in order to remember it, it translates as the following:

    1-800-F1U-CKYO

    or

    1-800-F1UCKYO

    Here’s the story:

    http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/03/need-health-care-coverage-just-dial-1-800-fuckyo-to-reach-obamacares-national-hotline/

    JVW (93c84b)

  57. I don’t know who or why there’s been a shooting in Washington but politicians (especially Democrats) act like Americans are their servants, call us terrorists, and act surprised when it provokes an angry response. They remind me of the New York City bikers who are so entitled they think they can get away with anything.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  58. The bikers seem to have a basis for thinking the way they do. The police are almost more now investigating the driver of the car, but he’s as innocent as George Zimmerman.

    Sammy Finkelman (ce0839)

  59. The bikers seem to have a basis for thinking the way they do.

    Of course they do. Even two year olds have a reason for what they do. So what?

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  60. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/04/us/politics/debt-limit-impasse.html?hp&_r=0

    Boehner Tells Republicans He Won’t Let the Nation Default

    One lawmaker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Mr. Boehner had indicated he would be willing to violate the so-called Hastert Rule if necessary to pass a debt-limit increase. The informal rule refers to a policy of not bringing to the floor any measure that does not have a majority of Republican votes.

    A spokesman for Mr. Boehner pushed back on the idea that the speaker would try to pass a debt-limit increase mainly with Democratic votes, but acknowledged that the speaker understood the need to head off a default.

    The Democrats are not going to make it easy for him to pass anything but a clean debt limit increase. (and Boehnert thinks a “clean” one cannot pass the House. Maybe it can if he and some top Republicans vote with the Democrats.

    So that’s the Democrat endgame? Get Republicans to replace Boehnert with someone they can run against in 2014 and win back the House?

    Sammy Finkelman (ce0839)

  61. So what?

    The thought that they can get away with anything may not be so farfetched.

    They seem to think they can clear roads for car racing. The car was initially attacked because it didn’t stay in the lane assigned to it by the bikers.

    Sammy Finkelman (ce0839)

  62. DRJ never learned that everyone’s self expression and rationalization and motive is equal.

    Heck, she might even think there’s such a thing as right and wrong.

    🙂

    Dustin (303dca)

  63. It’s New York.

    nk (dbc370)

  64. The thought that they can get away with anything may not be so farfetched.

    Then you live in a flawed, pathetic town, Sammy. You should get out.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  65. If enough rats are crowded together in a cage they start eating each other. Old science. Clavell even based his novel “King Rat” on that principle.

    nk (dbc370)

  66. And America should abandon Washington, too.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  67. I meant motorcycle racing.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/02/nyregion/motorcyclist-struck-by-suv-is-arrested-and-charged-with-reckless-behavior.html

    These very same people were denied a permit for something. There were numerous complanits about them the same night.

    The New York City police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly, said hundreds of motorcyclists had descended on city streets on Sunday for a planned but unsanctioned event loosely organized by a riders’ group called Hollywood Stuntz. “We had over 200 calls just on Sunday about this particular group operating in a reckless manner,” Mr. Kelly said.

    But responsibility is individual, and they may ahve arrested a wrong biker initially. The driver turns out not be badly injured but one of he bikers was.

    Sammy Finkelman (ce0839)

  68. Sammy:

    The driver turns out not be badly injured but one of he bikers was.

    Is that how you determine individual responsibility — by who gets hurt more?

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  69. http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2013/09/30/motorcyclists-in-confrontation-with-manhattan-driver-caught-on-video/

    Addvice for a driver frpm security experts as quoted in another New York Times article:

    Don’t open the door!

    It is safe to drive slowly.

    Call 911. Try to determine your location. Run to the police.

    Sammy Finkelman (ce0839)

  70. The shooter reports are conflicting and a mess, but there’s a report that someone assaulted a Republican congressman, reports that someone rammed a gate at the white house (probably the east wing entrance), reports that a female suspect is dead at the Capitol, and reports an officer was shot. Some of these may be separate incidents.

    Dustin (303dca)

  71. By the way, Sammy, it isn’t just about individual responsibility. Their thuggish, concerted behavior prior to and during the attack could give rise to multiple torts, crimes and possibly even conspiracy charges.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  72. Sammy,

    The Range Rover driver did all of that. Fat lot of good it did him.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  73. Comment by DRJ (a83b8b) — 10/3/2013 @ 12:14 pm

    Is that how you determine individual responsibility — by who gets hurt more?

    No. There may be a problem here determining which biker did what. You can only hold someone responsible for what he himself did (unless you decide to charge conspiracy, as has been done with mob attacks)

    These motorcyclists are a pretty big organized group:

    http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/biker-arrested-attack-suv-driver-upper-manhattan-set-free-officials-article-1.1473800

    The person most prominent in stopping the car was charged with misdemeanors – unlawful imprisonment and reckless driving.

    Sammy Finkelman (ce0839)

  74. The Range Rover driver opened the door.

    I remember reading that his tires were slashed and this caused him not to be able to escape in the end.

    The video was first posted by a biker, who claimed the driver was at fault and that one mtorcyclist had been killed.

    Sammy Finkelman (ce0839)

  75. This report suggests it may have been related to DC criminal activity, not politics:

    “The shooting unfolded after police chased a black car up Constitution Avenue toward the Capitol, said tourist Edmund Ofori-Attah, who walked toward the scene as the car stopped.”

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  76. Sammy:

    The Range Rover driver opened the door.

    I need a link.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  77. This report suggests it may have been related to DC criminal activity, not politics

    how can you tell the two apart?

    redc1c4 (abd49e)

  78. My Sister-in-law is a big tree hugger and loves the EPA and our National park system. She always tells me that is something the government can only do, and they did it right. She always says – ” Imagine if the government didn’t protect this land, and preserve it – private people would own these beautiful areas – and no one would be able to visit them.” Well guess what? She is currently driving from New Mexico to California and was trying to spend a month visiting all the National parks along the way. . . Irony – is a cold-hearted bitch.

    BuilderDoug (727fd6)

  79. The media doesn’t care if the offenders are liberal.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  80. Apparently it was a lengthy car chase that started at the White House:

    “We was up at the Capitol, seeing some of the protesters, saw five or six cop cars chasing that car,” said Ryan Christiansen, from Idaho Falls, Idaho. He said it was a small black car that looked like a Toyota Celica, and that police had chased it “around and around” a traffic circle near the Capitol.

    “I thought it was a motorcade,” he said.

    “He was pulling away, and somewhere between six and eight shots were fired,” Christiansen said.Police tried to corner the driver with their cars and block him in, “but he got out of that and got away.”

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  81. Clearly we need to ban Toyota Celicas.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  82. Only in Washington could you mistake a car chase for a motorcade.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  83. Clark’s posts at Popehat are hilarious.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  84. Comment by DRJ (a83b8b) — 10/3/2013 @ 12:38 pm

    Hah!!!

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  85. The media doesn’t care if the offenders are liberal.

    The SUV driver didn’t either.

    Huitzilincuatec (794c75)

  86. This report suggests it may have been related to DC criminal activity, not politics.

    how can you tell the two apart?

    Comment by redc1c4 (abd49e) — 10/3/2013 @ 12:31 pm

    Perfect. This, my friends, is how you do a clever quip.

    JVW (93c84b)

  87. 74… Not true about the biker death, Sammy. Other drivers who had been harassed by the same douchebikers said they were about as obnoxious as they could be on their motorcycles… not a reason to be accidentally run over, but the RR driver may have feared for his life and the safety of his wife and child

    Colonel Haiku (5eaa1e)

  88. that’s a great tip Mr. nk (#42)

    elissa you want we can go get some burger bowls later take a look and see if it sounds tasty

    http://www.thecounterburger.com/menu/

    I’m a get the Asian Veggie Fusion Bowl (530 cal) if we go

    no tay bennie though the grilled vegetable appetizer isn’t really a good value btw how they do them – all they give you is a few paper-thin slices of zucchini and carrot and then they dump some grilled canned corn kernels on top to try and make it look more substantive

    it’s very lame but all the other appetizers are for fat people unless you just want a salad, which is stupid cause a burger in a bowl is basically a salad anyway

    happyfeet (c60db2)

  89. Clearly we need to ban Toyota Celicas.

    Right, and here’s how we do it: we designate the Celica as an “assualt vehicle” and insist that it is no longer needed. When people complain we remind them that Toyota has not manufactured a Celica since 2006, and that it is too easy for gangbangers to modify them with larger engines, high-performance tires, and tinted windows. We point out that they can still get a Camry or a Corolla, which should be more than enough for any sportsman or for responsible use in the home. At the same time we launch a prolonged attack on all Toyota SUV models, arguing that they are way too big and powerful for the citizens to own and should only be used by law enforcement and the military. Every time there is an accident with one of these vehicles we immediately ignore the culpability of the driver and insist that it would not have happened in a Prius. We make sure that wealthy urban liberals jump on board our crusade, even though they will continued to be chauffeured about in the Celicas and SUVs by hired security who have special permits to drive these sorts of vehicles.

    JVW (93c84b)

  90. at The Counter, i skip the bread, etc, and just order a large patty with cheese, pickles, onions, and scarf that down with a couple beers.

    health food, the way it was meant to be served.

    redc1c4 (abd49e)

  91. health food, the way it was meant to be served.

    Funny how so few places serve an uncomplicated hamburger steak any longer. When you don’t want the bun or the cheese or the thousands of condiments, there is no better way to get a good dose of animal flesh if you don’t want to shell out $30 for the NY Strip or $25 for the petite filet.

    JVW (93c84b)

  92. 76. SF:

    The Range Rover driver opened the door.

    Comment by DRJ (a83b8b) — 10/3/2013 @ 12:29 pm


    I need a link.

    This is what I read. It’s an indirect indication that he opened the door.

    I actually was only barely aware of this – I didn’t study the articles, or start to look into it until I read a headline somewhere I think, and I read this:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/02/nyregion/practicing-self-defense-when-motorcyclists-make-a-drive-dangerous.html

    Lock the doors, Mr. Boehm said. This sounds like a no-brainer, and yet, that did not happen on Sunday, when the video shows a motorcyclist approach the S.U.V. on foot.

    “He actually opened the door,” Mr. Boehm said. “This whole time, the driver never locked his vehicle, or at least his door.”

    OK. The big point is that he did not LOCK the door.

    There is a problem wth relying on what somebody saw in a video that you didn’t yourself see. So this may be wrong. But David Boehm, chief operating officer of Security USA in Manhattan, said, after the viewing the video that he even actually opened the door.

    .

    Sammy Finkelman (e70ce9)

  93. Other accounts say that someone from outside opened the door.

    Maybe David Boehm is relying on the idea that in most cases, a driver won’t or can’t drive with the door unlocked, so he must have unlocked it intending to get out. Or perhaps he saw something in the video others missed. But back again on the first hand, maybe he’s just trying to say something astoning to emphasize his expertise.

    Sammy Finkelman (e70ce9)

  94. maybe the car automatically unlocked the doors?

    that might be a “feature” someone put into place if you put the tranny into park.

    redc1c4 (abd49e)

  95. 74. 87 @Colonel Haiku 10/3/2013 @ 12:49 pm

    I know the biker death is wrong. The biker, or another biker, was merely paralyzed. (although the actual prognosis is not known, but maybe that’s just doctors going by the book.)

    I am pretty sure the driver drove away fast because his car was being attacked and he didn’t trust them not to try to kill him or members of his family.

    not a reason to be accidentally run over, but the RR driver may have feared for his life and the safety of his wife and child

    I don’t think anyone was accidentally run over. He thought he had to do whatever s necessary. So he probably drove straight at them to get them to all go away, and scatter. I didn’t see the video.

    Meanwhile. you wonder, waht would Google do? How would a driverless car handle this? Probably stop.

    Anyway, this driver thought he could speed away. That turned out to be wrong, or he made a miscalculation after he got off the highway.

    So we can say he should have headed for a police station, or because he wouldn’t know one, called 911. But he probably thought he could get away from them..

    By the way, running away after hitting somone was the crime of leaving the scene of an accident, but it’s considered justifiable in these circumstances – a person is not required to stay at the scene of an accident if it is unsafe for him to do so. The fact that this is mentioned, indicates that the police investigated that angle.

    Sammy Finkelman (e70ce9)

  96. Just shot two zombies. The end is here.

    The Emperor (64f3a1)

  97. counter sounds really good right now Mr. red but it seems like i only go when I’m super hungry and as you know there can be a bit of a wait, so I think it would be in everyone’s interest for them to revisit their appetizer selections

    just throw a caprese on there or something

    happyfeet (4bf7c2)

  98. 49. I ran into Scottie Pippen buying dog food at the PetSuppliesPlus the other day. Now I’m wondering if that was an omen of some kind, Elephant Stone.

    Sabbatical from on-line politics feeling very very good so far. Thanks, all.

    elissa (26ee9f)

  99. elissa,

    I’m glad you are doing well but I’m still glad you checked back in.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  100. Darn it. This happens every time I think I’ve I think I’ve had an original idea.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXEWWTpit_A

    Crown Vic on Hells Revenge

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHvXi_HejnI

    Moab rock crawling in a Crown Victoria – baby lions back slick rock jeep climb

    The best part is always the look on their faces when you give them back the keys at the rent-a-car agency.

    Steve57 (234b9e)

  101. “No man’s life, liberty, or property. is safe. while the legislature is in session.” – Mark Twain (1866)

    askeptic (b8ab92)

  102. Mr. Pippen’s dog had surgery on Tuesday of this week elissa her name is Spinee it was touch and go there for a little while

    http://en.mediamass.net/people/scottie-pippen/dogrecovery.html

    Omen-wise I do not know how to read these tea leaves. These times, they are so very uncertain.

    happyfeet (c60db2)

  103. Day Three:

    Normandie Battlefield Cemetery, and other foreign cemeteries, closed due to government shutdown.

    I guess there’s a very real danger of zombies attacking visitors, particularly after sundown.

    Morons, all of them.

    askeptic (b8ab92)

  104. Those bikers are lucky, by the way, that it wasn’t me or one of my friends driving the Range Rover.

    There’d be a whole mess of bikers in the morgue instead of just one in the hospital.

    SPQR (39ad84)

  105. well, that one, from what I’ve read, wasn’t on his bike at the time he was run over; and his spine is crushed in two places.
    He’s lucky, or unlucky (depending upon your viewpoint), to be alive.

    askeptic (b8ab92)

  106. askeptic, play stupid games –> win stupid prizes.

    SPQR (39ad84)

  107. The problem with America is that it is too democratic. This nonsense with congress might just take everyone back to the great depression. Reckless and irresponsible.

    The Emperor (03864d)

  108. The Emperor proves the old adage. Scratch a liberal, a totalitarian bleeds.

    Steve57 (234b9e)

  109. The Emperor, it is Obamacare that has us headed for another depression.

    SPQR (39ad84)

  110. @SPQR. But but but Obamacare is not affected by this shutdown. So what’s the point?

    The Emperor (98014f)

  111. The problem with America is that it has ceased to be a nation of laws.
    The Congress is supposed to pass a budget where the House and Senate have to work out a compromise and the President needs to sign it.

    I don’t know who is supposed to enforce such a law or how it is to be enforced.

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  112. At this point, we have no real idea what is and isn’t affected by the shutdown.

    askeptic (b8ab92)

  113. The Emperor, Obamacare is unaffected by the shutdown because of Obama’s bad faith. He has chosen to keep Federal employees who are not public facing on the job as “essential”, and furlough employees who are essential but public facing.

    Coupled with his actions to close down things that don’t rely upon Federal budget appropriations like service academy football games, living history villages that are self-supporting and even things the Federal government does not own like Mount Vernon.

    SPQR (39ad84)

  114. Just shot two zombies. The end is here.

    Comment by The Emperor (64f3a1)

    Your wife and child finally got on your last nerve, eh, Chimperor?!?!

    Colonel Haiku (08d79d)

  115. SPQR. This does not bode well for the GOP, however you look at it. Whatever harm they expected to come to the president politically by this isn’t happening. Especially now that members of their own party are calling for an end to this face off. Obamacare still survives unscathed.

    The Emperor (890cff)

  116. @haiku. Is it murder if they have turned?

    The Emperor (3db71b)

  117. Who cares about damaging Obama, emperor?

    He’s not going to win any more elections.

    This is about policy. Obamacare is being repeatedly defended by the left just before it hits Americans hard. The democrats fought long and hard to prevent this, and it is a failure. There is hope of getting some mileage out of the dems on the debt ceiling and Obamacare. Every time it’s attempted the unfairness of corrupt waivers is shown to more Americans.

    This isn’t about the 2012 election except to Obama.

    Dustin (303dca)

  118. @haiku. Is it murder if they have turned?

    Comment by The Emperor (3db71b)

    No, in your case, with a few spuds and carrots, it’d be stew.

    Colonel Haiku (08d79d)

  119. The death of the GOP has been predicted by Dems ever since the last Whig died.

    askeptic (b8ab92)

  120. In 2014, when Obamacare disaster arrives, GOP runs on “we tried to save you”.

    SPQR (2c3f78)

  121. @Dustin. You care about damaging the Democrats by the aftermath of this shutdown. Is it happening?

    The Emperor (890cff)

  122. The Democrats have damaged themselves, and most of them realize it. Other than the wild-eyed true believers, you can see fear in their eyes.

    The media mooks aren’t as able to provide cover as they used to be.

    Colonel Haiku (08d79d)

  123. U.S. government shutdown: Republicans, Democrats and the blame game

    Republicans taking hit for impasse, polls show

    For the cynical political observer, the greatest concern for Republicans and Democrats coming out of the partial government shutdown may not be the short or long term effects on the country, but rather which party will shoulder the blame for the continuing impasse.

    So far, the Democrats seem to be winning that public relations battle, with polls showing a large majority of Americans squarely holding Republicans responsible for the 800,000 federal employees forced off their jobs and the closure of a series of non-essential government services.

    Republican attempts to saddle the spending bill with provisions to delay parts of Obamacare is the wrong tactic to take, say many, including those who don’t support the law.

    Some Republicans are even blaming their own party members for the stalemate they fear will ultimately hurt the party.

    “This is Ted Cruz’s fault. Ted Cruz led us down this path,” New York Congressman Peter King told Fox News, referring to the Tea Party favourite senator, who led a 21-hour marathon speech against Obamacare. “This was a disaster from the start, I could have predicted this.”

    The Emperor (3db71b)

  124. No change on the cape, but I’d like to see those flower eaten deer eat my Bhut Jolokia.

    mg (31009b)

  125. Republicans taking hit for impasse, polls show

    The polls will show whatever the person who devised the questions wants it to show.
    Let me create the questions, and cherry-pick the respondents, and I’ll have 60% of the American People in favor of invading Canada (again), or absolutely convinced that both Elvis, and Michael Jackson are living in a Moon-base.

    askeptic (2bb434)

  126. 110. @SPQR. But but but Obamacare is not affected by this shutdown. So what’s the point?

    Comment by The Emperor (98014f) — 10/3/2013 @ 4:04 pm

    As usual, this is not true. Some Obamacare spending is statutory and won’t be effected by the spending. But that doesn’t mean NONE of the Obamacare spending is effected. If Congress defunds Obamacare then some new spending will be prevented and some unspent balances that have been appropriated will be rescinded.

    Congress may not routinely defund programs, but they have done it. It can be done. The idea that Obamacare won’t be effected by the defunding effort is false.

    As a matter of fact, there’s a legislative term for what Congress is doing. CHIMPS. CHanges In Mamdatory Program Spending.

    Although it’s probably racist to use the old term now that we have a President who doesn’t look like all those guys on the currency and who has a compelling, exotic personal narrative which will reverse the rise of the oceans and bring us newfound respect throughout the Middle East and the Third World.

    Steve57 (234b9e)

  127. Mamdatory? That sounds like a dominatrix term.

    Steve57 (234b9e)

  128. @Dustin. You care about damaging the Democrats by the aftermath of this shutdown. Is it happening?

    Comment by The Emperor (890cff) — 10/3/2013 @ 4:33 pm

    I do not care about damaging Democrats and have no partisanship. There are many Republicans who I consider as ‘bad’ as democrats.

    What I care about is changing policy in order to limit government. I want to limit dependency on government. I want to see Americans resist freedom costing and intrusive policies.

    I see this ‘shutdown’ as costing relatively little compared to the freedom it is attempting to preserve.

    Dustin (303dca)

  129. “This is Ted Cruz’s fault. Ted Cruz led us down this path,” New York Congressman Peter King told Fox News, referring to the Tea Party favourite senator, who led a 21-hour marathon speech against Obamacare. “This was a disaster from the start, I could have predicted this.”

    Emperor didn’t give us the source for this article, but the spelling of “favorite” leads me to speculate that it is from the Guardian or some other lefty UK rag.

    JVW (93c84b)

  130. This is about policy. Obamacare is being repeatedly defended by the left just before it hits Americans hard. The democrats fought long and hard to prevent this, and it is a failure. There is hope of getting some mileage out of the dems on the debt ceiling and Obamacare. Every time it’s attempted the unfairness of corrupt waivers is shown to more Americans.

    Let me try this one out on you: This isn’t really about ObamaCare at all, except to the extent that (as you say) the GOP is reminding voters that they have been dead set against it from the beginning.

    Instead, ObamaCare is a big bargaining chip in the ongoing budget battle, which is being moved to the front-burner by the debt ceiling issue. The GOP’s endgame in all of this is to give up on funding ObamaCare in return for the Democrats agreeing to entitlement reform including a chained CPI and some sort of (minor) restructuring to social security. The deal would also include a tacit acknowledgment to bring to a close the idea of government “stimulus” — e.g. tax-breaks for “green” businesses, sending money to the states to fill budget gaps, various union bailouts — thus depriving Democrats of some of the tools they would want to use in the run-up to the 2014 campaign.

    Of course this would presuppose that the GOP leadership actually had a plan, which we all know is somewhat laughable.

    JVW (93c84b)

  131. @JVW. Here you are. http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/world/story/1.1875990

    The Emperor (03864d)

  132. elissa,

    LOL on running into Scottie Pippen.
    I would think that a guy like Scottie who made millions during his lengthy career in the NBA would be eating a little better than just dog food—oh wait, my bad, he was probably buying it for his dog !!

    Take the sabattical that you need.
    We’ll look forward to your rational insights whenever you’re ready to return.

    Heck, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady take six months off—every year !

    (Wish Barack would, too.)

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  133. JVW, well said.

    Obamacare is but one example of the trend of enormous government. It is good to make some noise about it so that the Peter Kings and Mitt Romneys and Barack Obamas and Harry Reids are known, just as the Ted Cruzes and the like are also known.

    Education as well as decent morality are critical to a functional, healthy democracy.

    Dustin (303dca)

  134. narciso, aren’t Harry Reid and Barack Obam doing everything in their power to demonstrate why you don’t put the government in charge of health care?

    Steve57 (234b9e)

  135. Obamacare is but one example of the trend of enormous government. It is good to make some noise about it so that the Peter Kings and Mitt Romneys and Barack Obamas and Harry Reids are known, just as the Ted Cruzes and the like are also known.

    More Mittlove… oh, boy…

    Colonel Haiku (b364a1)

  136. “So that’s the Democrat endgame? Get Republicans to replace Boehnert with someone they can run against in 2014 and win back the House?”

    Open the government, increase the debt ceiling, go to conference on the budget.

    cmer (ee5cc5)

  137. Colonel,

    Mitt really gets under Dustin’s skin.
    Not even Rachel Maddow or Ed Schultz is still throwing darts at Romney.

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  138. Let’s just say, try to not to pick someone who pulls his punches;

    http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/10/house-passes-national-guard-pay-act/

    narciso (3fec35)

  139. narciso,

    Or as Alanis Morrissette once sang,
    “it’s like rain
    on your ObamaCare day,
    it’s like a free ride
    when someone else already paid”

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  140. @JVW. Here you are. http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/world/story/1.1875990

    Ah, thanks Emperor. Imagine the coincidence that a state-owned news agency (CBC) would run a story supporting the U.S. political party that owes its fealty to public employees.

    Though to give credit where it is due, the story does allow a pretty decent examination of the GOP’s arguments in this debate. Of course, they come only after the Democrats’ arguments have been presented.

    And I love how Jon Stewart continually gets quoted in these sorts of stories. If you are taking your political talking points from a late-night talk-show comedian, you may be a low information voter.

    JVW (93c84b)

  141. Estone

    Some of these commentators were very ugly to Dustin, who btw, served our country, including speculating on his heritage. Dustin crime, questioning Romney’s liberal record

    EPWJ (1cedce)

  142. I like Mitt Romney as a person more than a candidate, but I don’t talk about him to be hurtful. He was the GOP’s most recent Presidential nominee. That makes him very relevant to our discussions of where to go next.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  143. 138. Obamacare is but one example of the trend of enormous government. It is good to make some noise about it so that the Peter Kings and Mitt Romneys and Barack Obamas and Harry Reids are known, just as the Ted Cruzes and the like are also known.

    More Mittlove… oh, boy…

    Comment by Colonel Haiku (b364a1) — 10/3/2013 @ 5:59 pm

    At the risk of being accused of gratuitous Romney bashing, I’m thinking solution to avoiding the “not a dime’s worth of difference” curse of 2008/2012 in 2016 might be Scott Walker.

    The state Department of Natural Resources on Wednesday refused a directive from the National Park Service to close a host of popular state properties because of the federal government shutdown.

    The park service ordered state officials to close the northern unit of the Kettle Moraine, Devil’s Lake, and Interstate state parks and the state-owned portion of the Horicon Marsh, but state authorities rebuffed the request because the lion’s share of the funding came from state, not federal coffers.

    Read more from JSOnline: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/scott-walker-blames-lawmakers-in-both-parties-for-federal-shutdown-b99111708z1-226154141.html#ixzz2giI5Vk79
    Follow us: @NewsHub on Twitter

    Unlike running Governor Romneycare against President Obamacare, this guy is making clear his differences.

    Steve57 (234b9e)

  144. It’s the grocery stores on the bases (commissaries) which are closed, not the mess halls. The troops on base still eat. With their meal cards i.e. for free. Some visitors are entitled to eat free too, others have to pay. Let’s not add to the hysteria the Dems want to propagate.

    @36 Comment by nk (dbc370) — 10/3/2013 @ 10:48 am

    My bad, thanks nk.

    Pons Asinorum (8ce71a)

  145. EPWJ,

    This is a big boy website where people can handle civil give-and-take on political issues and strategies.
    I’ve never seen anyone mention Dustin’s heritage. I don’t even know what his heritage happens to be.

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  146. Meh. Not your fault. It was Bloomberg’s header, in direct contradiction to the body of the article. I Googled Andrews AFB to get some more facts. They have tables with white tablecloths??? 😉

    (I think those are for the paying visitors. Still ….)

    nk (dbc370)

  147. I like Mitt Romney as a person more than a candidate, but I don’t talk about him to be hurtful. He was the GOP’s most recent Presidential nominee. That makes him very relevant to our discussions of where to go next.

    Comment by DRJ (a83b8b)

    Understood, but since we’re rehashing this for the zillionth time… but I am curious, DRJ, who would have been your choice, who would have won the gold ring?

    Colonel Haiku (b364a1)

  148. Understood, but since we’re rehashing this for the zillionth time… but I am curious, DRJ, who would have been your choice, who would have won the gold ring?

    My choice was Ron Paul.

    Michael Ejercito (b371e1)

  149. Again, just my $.02… I have to say that it didn’t matter who our candidate was in 2012, the fix was in. This was an abomination and we, as Americans, are paying a heavy price for 0bama’s malevolent ineptitude.

    Colonel Haiku (b364a1)

  150. I think Dustin mentioned that he’s 1/78th Cherokee/Seminole/Oglala when he was running for Senator from Guam. Or am I thinking of somebody else?

    nk (dbc370)

  151. 152. …Understood, but since we’re rehashing this for the zillionth time… but I am curious, DRJ, who would have been your choice, who would have won the gold ring?

    Comment by Colonel Haiku (b364a1) — 10/3/2013 @ 6:52 pm

    I can’t speak for DRJ, but the sole reason I’m rehashing this for the zillionth time is because I want to win in 2016.

    I think Mitt Romney is a fine, decent man. But he didn’t win in 2012, and moreover trying to figure out who could have won in 2012 is no longer the question.

    Steve57 (234b9e)

  152. Not a snowball’s chance in La Tuna that Ron Paul would have won, but I guess it would be a statement of sorts.

    Colonel Haiku (b364a1)

  153. That’s fine, Steve, as long as you cast your vote in 2012. It’s our people who couldn’t be bothered and sat on their fat asses that I, personally, have a big problem with.

    Colonel Haiku (b364a1)

  154. Peter King is a camera-chasing asshole and putting our 2012 candidate in with him, alongside Harry Reid and 0bama, is an insult.

    Colonel Haiku (b364a1)

  155. If the shutdown is such bad “optics” (I hate that word) for the GOP …

    why are Democrats slowly folding?

    SPQR (768505)

  156. No one in my cabal questioned Dustin’s integrity.

    SPQR (768505)

  157. Things that are inactive today: E-Verify and The Border Patrol.

    Probably just an oversight.

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  158. It’s a bi-partisan funding in-yo’-face 0bama/ Scrote Reid/Nanski Pelosi effort! Yay!

    Colonel Haiku (b364a1)

  159. On some recent thread, Tlaloc tried to make fun of me for suggesting that Democrats’ policies were sending us closer to depression:

    “Gallup reports that the U.S. Payroll to Population employment rate fell to 43.5% in September, from 43.7% in August.”

    Employment is heading down this year. And greater parttime for those who are employed. Obama’s Summer of Recovery!

    SPQR (768505)

  160. Coronello, I would cross across a field full of glass shards on my belly just to vote against Barack Obama.

    What I’m trying to gently or perhaps not so gently to suggest is that the GOP has to appeal to people who aren’t as consistently “our people.”

    I concede Mitt Romney would have been better than Obama (although based on some of the things he’s said I don’t believe he’d have been as many miles ahead on foreign policy as some people assert). Barack Obama isn’t even dancing in the same disco when it comes to who has the better head and the better heart.

    The fact is I don’t think the candidate is the main issue. That’s my takeaway from the 2012 election. Sure, the candidate is important. Very important. Just not the most important thing.

    The people who should have been our people stayed home because, IMHO, they didn’t think Romney was that much different from Obama. And that consequently since nobody was promising to represent them, why bother making the effort?

    If Republicans want to win elections they have to prove that not only will they say they’re different, they have to prove it. And I’m sorry to sound like a broken record, but the people who turned out in droves all across the country to make sure Scott Brown was the vote against Obamacare in 2010 just didn’t see it in Romney.

    Nice, humane, caring and intelligent individual that he is.

    Steve57 (234b9e)

  161. http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2013/10/03/astroturf-medias-obamacare-poster-boy-is-ofa-volunteer/

    Hilarious. Its like the Obama PR machine is down to the third string.

    SPQR (768505)

  162. Scenic Overlook off a highway … closed by NPS.

    http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2013/10/03/national-park-service-barrycades-scenic-overlooks-on-the-gw-parkway/

    Its like the White House deliberately picked things to do to make themselves look like petulant 13 year olds.

    Oh, right, they are petulant 13 year olds.

    SPQR (768505)

  163. Scenic Overlook off a highway … closed by NPS.

    http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2013/10/03/national-park-service-barrycades-scenic-overlooks-on-the-gw-parkway/

    Its like the White House deliberately picked things to do to make themselves look like petulant 13 year olds.

    Oh, right, they are petulant 13 year olds.

    Comment by SPQR (768505) — 10/3/2013 @ 8:43 pm

    I would like to add the park service to the list of government agencies that ought to be cleaned out and drastically downsized. IRS, EPA, BATF, and Park Service. This barrycading business is the opposite of public service.

    Dustin (303dca)

  164. Dustin, its infuriating that nothing is being done about the criminal conduct of the IRS.

    SPQR (768505)

  165. “Ken Gardner @kesgardner
    It may still be the case that more Americans have successfully walked on the moon than successfully enrolled in Obamacare.”

    SPQR (768505)


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